Established in 1998 in Auckland, Believe it or Not Quiz Nights pioneered the quiz industry in New Zealand and is the largest provider of quiz nights, and trivia-based products in the country.
When Brendan Lochead, founder of Believe it Not, noticed that the quiz night offered at his parents’ retirement village wasn’t really up to scratch, he realised there was an opportunity to provide a true event for retirement and aged care residents based on his years of experience.
“The quizzes were not great, no real thought had been given to the types of questions that this age group would enjoy,” explained Lochead.
“A lot of the residents would have been to one of our pub quiz nights over the last 20-odd years, and that’s the experience they were looking for. We turned a simple quiz night into a proper event because this time in the residents’ lives should be all about living!”
Believe it or Not’s aged care/ retirement product is designed to be interactive, using a village’s communal area’s entertainment system to run the entire night through big screen projectors or televisions (although there is also a version that can be used without TVs).
“Our product has been completely tailored to the over-65s. We’ve done our research by running test events and finding out what the residents like and don’t like. We’ve realised there are two sets of participants we need to cater for, because the 65-75yr olds are very different to those in their 80s, they’re a completely different demographic.”
There is a skill to setting quiz questions, noted Lochead, something that many people overlook. Lochead’s team of seven full time staff create tailored, boutique events and while they use many of the elements from their pub quizzes, some things have been altered.
“Figuring out the categories has been interesting, for example, in a typical pub quiz, you’re always going to have a sports round, but in the retirement and aged care villages we don’t. Although in saying that I have had little old ladies come and ask me where the sports questions were!
“If we ask questions that are too hard or irrelevant to the audience, they’re not going to want to come back. By and large the residents love history, geography, science, and the arts, and we keep our entertainment rounds focused primarily on pre-1980s.”
Something for Everyone
The special aspects of Believe it Not pub quizzes remain in the aged care offering and it’s these that set a Believe it or Not quiz night apart from the rest.
There’s the Ponderous Puzzle, an ongoing problem where a clue is given at the end of each round. It could be a famous person, year, country, object, movie, book, or band. The clues get progressively easier, with teams receiving points dependent on how quickly they solve it. The quicker they solve it, the more points they get.
Last Man Standing is a 'heads or tails' style individual competition run in 'quiz' style. Usually run as an icebreaker to start the night, there is a sheet of ten questions. Everyone stands up. Ask the first question and give the two answer options. If a person thinks the first answer is correct, they put their hands on their head. If they think the second answer is spot on, they'll put their hands on their bottom. Announce the answer and anyone who gets it wrong must sit down. Carry on in this fashion until one person remains. They win a prize!
The List: This takes place halfway through the quiz when you take a drinks break. Read out the category for The List. Teams write down ten items relating to the category, taking care to write down their 'dead certs' first on The List, and their hunches last. This is because once they get one wrong, they break the chain and stop scoring points. For instance, if they get number five wrong, yet get numbers six - ten right, they only score four points, as the chain of correct answers was broken at number five.
All of these elements go into making a Believe it or Not multimedia quiz night a special event, one that village managers can use to not only connect residents, but also to attract family and friends to the village to reconnect with loved ones.
“It is so much more of an event than they’re used to,” said Lochead.
“We never want to discourage people from running their own quiz nights, but why not add a Believe it or Not quiz night as a special and separate event?”
The mental health benefits of trivia games and quizzes are well documented. Exercising the mind to keep it active is as important as maintaining physical fitness and strength in older age and the benefits of running a quiz night for seniors include increased brain health, improved cognitive skills, and reduced stress, but the benefits go beyond this.
“Some places aren’t limiting the quiz nights to the residents, instead allowing family and friends to join. This fuels connection, which is so important, especially after the last couple of years we’ve had when residents have been so separated from their surrounding communities.”
Not Just Another Day at the Office
“Sometimes you need a little bit of luck in your life,” expressed Lochead.
The Believe it or Not team have been lucky enough to work with one of the most recognisable names in the quizzing business.
“A friend of mine was in the UK at a football game and happened to run into Shaun Wallace (the Dark Destroyer from the incredibly popular quiz television show, The Chase), they got chatting about quizzing and my friend told Shaun all about Believe it or Not.
“After researching our business, Shaun was very impressed. He’d always wanted to visit the country, so in 2019 he came to New Zealand twice. He loves New Zealand; he loves Kiwis, and he loves the over 65 demographic.
The relationship developed from there and he’s now done virtual quiz events for Ryman, Metlife Care, Arvida, and Generous Group. As you can imagine, when he comes on screen, it’s like there’s a rock star in the room.”
With the backing of such a recognisable quizzer, the question of whether to run a Believe it or Not event at your village is really a no-brainer.
“It’s not just another day at the office when it comes to Believe it or Not,” expressed the Dark Destroyer himself.
“They are, in my opinion, not only the best quiz company in New Zealand, but the world!”
Quiz nights are extremely popular and universally loved. They are a great community event that can attract a very loyal following of people and inspire residents’ wellbeing. One of the best parts about a Believe it or Not event is once established, the quiz runs itself and can become a highly addictive hobby.
For more information about how Believe it or Not can make your next quiz night the must-attend event at your village, visit www.believeitornot.co.nz or contact brendan@believeitornot.co.nz
